Phuket tourism stakeholders and community volunteers come together to remove rubbish from the island’s beaches

Over 500 volunteers from hotels, resorts and communities across the Thai island of Phuket came together last month to remove a staggering 3 tonnes of rubbish from the island’s coastline, as part of a major two-day activity to mark the Phuket Green Day and the International Coastal Cleanup™ (ICC).

This island-wide effort, which was organised by the Phuket Hotels Association in partnership with the Thai Hotels Association, Patong Hotel Association and Phuket Tourist Association, was the largest coordinated coastal clean-up ever conducted on the island.

Taking place on Tuesday 14th and Wednesday 15th September 2021, it encompassed 25 separate locations across the island - up from 16 last year - including beaches, mangroves and underwater ecosystems.

Commenting on the collective effort, Phuket Hotels Association President, Anthony Lark stated “we are very fortunate to live and work in a place as beautiful as Phuket, but we must never take that for granted.

“Following the unprecedented challenges of the last two years, it was wonderful to start welcoming international travellers back on 1st July, following the launch of the Phuket Sandbox. Their absence made us realise how much our destination thrives on tourism.

“The vast majority of our guests choose to come to Phuket because of its breath-taking natural beauty, so to ensure the long-term future of our island – and the planet – we must all do our bit to take care of the environment.

“It was wonderful to see so many people come together for this year’s Phuket Green Day and International Coastal Cleanup (ICC). I would like to thank everybody for their hard work and commitment. By working hand-in-hand with the local community and caring for the island, we can ensure that our beloved Phuket remains one of the world’s most desirable destinations for generations to come.”

Phuket Green Day is an annual activity organised by the Phuket Hotels Association, to coincide with the ICC, a global coastal clean-up event launched by Ocean Conservancy. Since the ICC was launched, over 16 million volunteers have collected more than 154,000 tonnes of trash from coastlines in more than 100 countries all around the globe.

Images: The Patong Beach cleanup is joined by Kitisan Kuru, Deputy Mayor of Patong Municipality and Suphattra Jaruariyanon, President of the Patong Hotel Association (top) volunteers collecting waste from Phuket's mangroveds (below).